The central role of ignorance is one of the many ironies of the homebirth movement. I’m not talking about the lack of basic knowledge of science, statistics and obstetrics, although that it is fundamental to homebirth advocacy. I’m talking about the valorization of those who refuse to obtain information about the current pregnancy.

This is a particularly notable phenomenon in unassisted childbirth (UC) where the goal seems to be to remain as ignorant as possible about every aspect of a specific pregnancy.

Years ago I wrote about a thread on Mothering.com in which UC advocates were boasting how little they knew about their pregnancies:

I’m such a uc’er.. I didn’t go to the docs for a pp hemorhage
I’m such a uc’er.. I didn’t hear the heartbeat until I was 37 weeks …
I’m such a uc’er.. I (keep it going mamas..)

I’m such a ucer…I check my own cervix.
I’m such a ucer…I had to guess at my due date.

Rixa Freeze’s recent boast that she does not know her due date is in keeping with this valorization of ignorance.

Homebirth advocates routinely counsel each other to decline various screening tests since it is “better not to know” if they have gestational diabetes or are colonized with group B strep.

Perhaps homebirth and UC advocates can explain this embrace of ignorance. I have three questions for them:

If knowledge is power, how can deliberately refusing information be empowering?

If preventing a complication is better than treating it, how can refusing screening tests make any sense at all?

What is the value of being “educated” about pregnancy in general, but totally uneducated about the status of the actual pregnancy?

Midwife: ” you wont need an epidural”
sounds like
OBI WAN KENOBI: “these are not the droids you are looking for”
Me: rolling on the floor laughing my A$$ of and immediately switching to an OB
and having a C section~~~

Amy Tuteur, MD

Dr. Amy Tuteur is an obstetrician gynecologist. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard College in 1979 and her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine in 1984. Dr. Tuteur is a former clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School. She left the practice of medicine to raise her four children. Her book, Push Back: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting (HarperCollins) was published in 2016. She can be reached at DrAmy5 at aol dot com...
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